Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater PANICKING! PLZ HELP.

After weeks of searching, I finally purchased what I thought was the perfect big screen TV today. Now I am having second thoughts and would like some other opinions. I tried and tried to talk myself into buying a rear projection but just couldn't do it. So finally I bit the bullet and bought 50" Sony Grand Wega LCD projection because I thought it had a fantastic picture. Just as I was about to leave the store, I was told that I should not hook up playstation to it because of screen burn and that the screen will scratch easily. This is a problem because I have a 7 yr old and I am terrified that I have made the wrong decision.

I have heard the screen burn in problem many times before, but never actually have seen it. Then again, my only experience is with rear proejction CRT's. We had one at my house through my playstation days, played for hours on end, no problems. Same with my friends tv, he is constantly playing football, no problems.

Now I know know they warn about burn in w/ CRT's too....and my opinion is you have to leave something on for a LONG time before any problems happen. I dont know if an LCD is any more sensitive (i doubt it though, look at computer monitors that have desktops up w/ the same icons for hours on end)

I hadn't thought of it that way but I guess it is the same technology as a computer screen. I just hate to think I spent so much money on something that was for us to enjoy together and then I'm gonna freak out if he comes within 10 feet of it.

Don't worry about it. Just make sure he KNOWS not to leave a game paused with the TV on. Pause the game, turn the TV off. No problem!

I guess with the right training. This set doesn't have the screen protector either. Does anyone know how fragile the screens are? I would prefer not to have it because of the glare.

Actually, burn-in on screens is most often caused by a health bar or a some other static element usually in the corners or at the bottom. From what I know, all monitor types are susceptible to it. It is the phosphors or pixels that lose color or get "stuck" in that one color. From what I have read, DLP is the least likely to have issues with burn-in. Any good quality manufacturer has reduced the chances as much as possible for burn-in to happen. It is just the thing that register bisquits like to tell people as they walk out the door with their new purchase. I am sure your new Wega will be fine for many years of PS2 play, but if you were really worried, take it back and get the Samsung DLP rear-projection 50".

Dang, I didn't think of that. You're right. I've never seen it happen on an LCD display, and I don't see how LCDs would be more suceptable in a TV environment than a PC gaming environment, or how LCDs could possibly be worse than CRTs in this respect.

I looked at the Samsung DLP also and they were the same price but I thought that the picture was better on the Sony.

I have seen it happen in LCD monitors at my work. Running 24-7 with a statistical process control program running, and no screen savers. You can really notice it at the edges on a white background. The "X" can show up quite easily. Mind you, this was after a couple of years running with no change in the display at all.

It's too bad you can't pick up the screens and shake 'em (like an Etch-a-Sketch) to remove any burn-in.

meeker,

I believe some game designers are starting to become aware of this and making sure any static imagery on the screen (health meters, ammo count, etc.) is translucent so that the background shows through and changes the pixels as you move.

OK. That's a couple years, though. If they're playing the same video game for a couple years, well, that's just kind of scary. I mean, they get old after a few weeks of constant gaming and caffeine intake! ;-)

Either that or because it looks cool. Kind of distracting when they make the compass like that, though (see Planetside for a good example, and a great way to drop at least $150 on one game alone, along with $400 of upgrade hardware)

I guess I'm just freaking out 'cause I spent so much. I started this wanting to spend less than $2000 and ended up spending over $4000 by the time they added tax, ext. warranty and the stand. I did love the TV though.

yeeowch! $4k? I honestly don't know how people do it.

Yeah, I like it when people talk about $1K TVs as "inexpensive." Yeah. Right. :-)

Like I said, you have a great tv. Now if you let your son play the same PS2 game, 24-7 without turning it off or changing the channel, you will have bigger problems than the small chance of burn-in on your screen.
Turn the computer off and go watch a movie already.

I guess I'm planning on watching a lot of TV from now on. I won't be able to afford to do anything else.

TV hasn't been delivered yet. No fun to watch a movie on the 27".

I refuse to let my young daughter play that much video games.
If a child sits in front of the TV that often, then what's the point of my taxes paying for public parks?

Lisa, don't worry about the tv. As others have said, unless hours of gaming are played while a static image is left there for extended times, day after day, then you should not have any problems.

I just bought the same TV set and the guy at Bestbuy told me that this TV will not have the same problem of burn in compared to older crt projection sets. I'm not sure if it's true. I'm having my TV service this week due to a slight tilt on the picture (noticable when FBI warning on begining of movies and end credits).I'll ask the service tech about this burn in question.

One of the reasons I went with the Samsung DLP was because it is allegedly impervious to burn in. I had read that CRT's and LCD's were susceptible to the problem. But, I recently read that LCD's (the GWIII was specifically mentioned) are only slightly more susceptible than the DLP, and not nearly as susceptible as the CRTs. It confirmed what has already been said here. If you leave a static picture on for VERY long periods of time, over a VERY long period of days and months, you might have a problem. But, with ordinary use, things should just be fine. KCarlile has it right. Teach your child not to pause a game. So, relax and enjoy your quality TV set.

One of the things you DO have to be careful of is watching too much TV in 4:3 mode with the black bars on both sides of the picture. If you watch in that mode ALL the time, it could cause the screen to age differently to the point where you can notice where those black bars have been.

Assuming, from your screen name, that you are female, may I say it's nice to have a little feminine input around here. I've been suffering from an overdose of testosterone on this forum. If you are male, please forgive me.

Sounds like a good tv, what sound system are you running with it?

...and you thought $4k was the end of your expenses

I have an RCA 5.1 500w sound system. I'm new to this home theater stuff. Everything I know about TVs, I learned in the last 3 weeks. I am female by the way.

Well welcome to Axiom. I'm currently at the stage where the more I learn; the more the more I realise just how little I know.

Don't hang out her too long. We'll talk you into replacing that RCA Home-theater-in-a-box setup

-Nick

"I am female by the way."

Whew! I'm relieved! I had visions of a 300lb. hulk ready to put my lights out. Anybody, other than me, old enough to remember "A Boy Named Sue"?

sorry to break the good run on this post, but I really notice on this board how quickly members clamour to help out a female boarder! This was probably one of the fastest growing posts in a long time. Ah, we're just men after all!

and most of us married at that!

Hey, I waited 25 posts before diving in. You're right though..when I ask something I could die before I get a response!

Actually this board is generally wonderful. I posted about the VTF-2 and 3 over on the HSU forum and I've had two responses..and the first was myself complaining about having to talk to myself.

Then the answer I got wasn't really answering my question.

Perhaps I should check out SVS

-Nick

SVS doesn't have their own forum. Last time I was there HT-Spot had a pretty active SVS board.

not home theater in a box. I pieced it together myself, thank you. in a box wasn't powerful enough

I was having a very bad case of buyers remorse this morning. I actually went back to the store to exchange it for something a little less expensive. I was feeling really guilty about spending so much on "just a tv" and was sure that I could find something else that would make
me just as happy. Needless to say, I still have a Grand Wega being delivered tomorrow.

Congratulations on your purchase Lisa! After dropping $2500+ on Axiom's, HSU VTF-2, and a Yamaha 1400, I'm in no position to go the route you have gone. Guess I'll have to suffer with my 10 year old 32" Toshiba. However, a wide screen HDTV is on the horizon and I will stick around here to learn as much as I can about LCD and other type TV's. Good luck.
Pete

i guess i will have to upgrade my sound too if i hang around here long

I've been gaming on standard RPTV's for about a decade without ever burning in an image. I havent' seen a game in years that has a static image that never changes. At the least, it will have a load screen or some sort of video to push along the story.

Of course, LCD is pretty bullet proof in this regard so you don't have much to worry about anyway.

In reply to:

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i guess i will have to upgrade my sound too if i hang around here long

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That's pretty much a given.

One of guys at the electronics store told me something that I thought was very interesting today. I don't know if it's true or not. He said on a plasma TV if you have screen burn and you run the TV with just snow for a while, e.g. overnight, it will fix it. He didn't know if worked on other types of tvs.

Just thought I'd throw that out there.
He said they did it on a floor model they had.

I don't believe that is true. Besides, where are you going to find snow/static these days?? Most TVs now show a blank blue (or gray) screen when they don't have a signal.

I have to plead complete ignorance on this topic, but don't some of these new televisions have screen-savers loaded on them? Is there any way to run something like this? My DVD player actually runs a screensaver automatically when it's paused for more than 5 minutes. Do XBox, PS2 and other gaming devices not do this?

I dont know about a PS2 or XBOX, but the Dreamcast has a screensaver. (after 5 mins of pause it dims the screen, after 15 mins this funky bouncing colored spotlight thing kicks in)

PS2 does not, but what a great idea!

According to the owners manual, my wonderfully inexpensive Phillips 60" HDTV constantly (frequently?) shifts the on-screen image ever-so-slightly to avoid burn-in.